My daughter was adopted when she was very little. She was learning a new language, a new country and getting used to a new family. When I was teaching her obedience, I would often take more time to explain to her why I was asking her to obey than I did with my boys. I wanted her to have some understanding of why I asked her to do certain things. As she grew older and we had an established relationship, we had more in-depth conversations about obedience and how it displays love. Children show their love for parents when they show respect and obedience. When they do what is asked, they are showing that what we are asking means something. They want to do it because they love us. In the same way, love for God is expressed when you obey His commands.

The Pharisees regularly tried to trick Jesus with their words. One such time is recorded in Matthew 22:34-40.

“But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-40)

The Pharisees were teachers of the law and were more concerned with following God’s law than following God. In answering their question, Jesus quickly got to the heart of obeying His law. His command, which encompasses all His laws, is to love God. When you obey this great commandment, you are loving God with all that you are and all that you have. As you choose to do all that God asks of you, you are expressing your love to God. God desires, more than anything, a love relationship with each one of us. He wants us to love Him completely, and that is what we expect from Him, but it is not often what we give Him.

Jesus doesn’t just stop there. Further, He tells the Pharisees not only to love God with every part of their being, but also to love your neighbor as you love yourself. You can’t obey the second command without obeying the first command. One leads to the other. Loving God leads to loving others. Then when you love others, you draw closer to God. You are blessed by seeing them blessed through you. You see His work in their lives. You draw closer to Him, because you have experienced more of Him. Loving your neighbor is not passive. It is active, intentional, and purposeful as you show them the love of God, because of the love God has been extended to you.

So often though, we put love for self above love for God and do not do the things He asks us to do. When we disobey God, we are showing Him that what He asks is not as important as what we want to do. We are dividing our love for Him and our love for things of the world. We are not loving Him with every part of us. When we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, His love flows through us to others. It is a natural outflow of God’s love in us, which comes only through the work of His Spirit in our lives.

I found this prayer in The Valley of Vision*. As I read it this morning, it led me to the thoughts I just shared. I hope it touches your heart as it did mine and causes you to seek to love God and others as He loves.

O Lover of the Loveless,

It is thy will that I should love thee with heart, soul, mind, strength, and my neighbor as myself.

But I am not sufficient for these things. There is by nature no pure love in my soul; Every affection in me is turned from thee; I am bound, as slave to lust, I cannot love thee, lovely as thou art, until thou dost set me free.

By grace I am thy freeman and would serve thee, for I believe thou art my God in Jesus, and that through him I am redeemed, and my sins are forgiven.

With this freedom I would always obey thee, but I cannot walk in liberty, any more than I could first attain it, of myself.

May thy Spirit draw me nearer to thee and thy ways. Thou art the end of all means, for if they lead me not to thee, I go away empty.

Order all my ways by thy holy Word and make thy commandments the joy of my heart, that by them I may have happy converse with thee. May I grow in thy love and manifest it to mankind.

Spirit of love, make me like the loving Jesus; give me his benevolent temper, his beneficent actions, that I may shine before men to thy glory.

The more thou doest in love in me and by me, humble me the more; keep me meek, lowly, and always ready to give thee honour.

In His Love,

Susan

* The Valley of Vision A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, edited by Arthur Bennett, The Banner of Truth Trust 1975, pgs. 250-251.